Chapter Six: Coordinates

- It was one of the strangest nights I had ever encountered. We slept in the same bed together and it was not completely awkward, but, I wasn't used to it; still, this man was a stranger to me, but, who had I to know now since mother and Marcus left me here? The man named Erik placed his arm around my waist and snuggled up behind me; laying his leg over mine and sighing happily. "Goodnight, my beautiful Christine" he whispered, kissing the back of my, well, hair.

"Goodnight, Erik" said I hesitantly; Erik chuckled and only held me closer.

- I woke to find that I was alone in the bedroom, but, emanating from the kitchen was the sweet smell of pastries! I seemed to float out of the bed and drop onto the floor, following my nose to the source of the wonderful scent. I popped my head into a large room where I saw Erik standing before a black stove and in his hand was a large, black pan; in that was a brown pastry he flipped twice and planted on a white plate with blue designs around the edges. Pancakes! He was preparing me pancakes!

I loved pancakes, they were my favorite breakfast food!

I stepped into the kitchen and Erik turned, he smiled. "I'm making you breakfast; I was going to give it to you as breakfast in bed, but, I see you've awoken. I know you loved pancakes so, I made them for you." He said, smiling even wider; I thanked him and walked around the large kitchen to a small dining table that would barely fit two people! A few moments later he finished with the pancakes and quickly brought over a plate of pancakes, bacon and cooked eggs sprinkled with cheese and tomatoes.

I was almost in awe; how did he know I loved my eggs cooked with cheese and tomatoes? How did he know I loved pancakes? "This looks...absolutely delicious, thank you" said I to him; he smiled and leaned down, quickly planting a kiss on my cheek and hurrying back to the kitchen, beginning on his meal. As I ate what was truly the most delicious meal I had ever been given the pleasure to eat, I would catch him stealing glances at me. I smiled and we ate together in silence; we didn't speak until we arrived in the coordinates on the back of the note mother gave to me.

"A graveyard? No...this can't be right!" I said, checking back at the directions, however, they were. "Why would she tell us to go to a graveyard?" I asked, looking up to Erik who shrugged and helped me out of the carriage; gently taking up my arm and leading me into the cemetery.

The clouds seemed to blanket and darken the sky as we entered, the trees, though lush and full, leaned close to us and leered; as we walked on, the very graves themselves seemed to jar at us, growing bigger and bigger. We walked from small graves no bigger than my arm to elephantine mausoleums which towered over us! On the back of the note it said we were looking for a black, marble mausoleum with golden writing and iron roses carved into the mausoleum door. Erik and I wandered about the cemetery for hours and we could find no such mausoleum, not until, however, we split up.

It was quite scary being on my own with the sky darkening every second. The trees appeared more threatening, as if their branches would turn into large hands and steal me away! I could barely see the winding, cobblestone path and many times tripped over gravestones, landing mostly on my face. Bats flew above my head and screeched to one another, I knew they did more good than harm, but, still the eeriness of this place was haunting. I glanced away from the path for a moment, maybe not even that, and I ran smack dab into a mausoleum; falling on my butt.

I shook my head and slowly stood, running my fingers over the door I felt iron! It was bent into strange shapes, which, I guessed could be roses. I allowed my hand to stretch until I felt the intentions of a name carved into the top; my fingers fit in the indentions and I said the letters aloud. "D" I started "A...A" I continued, the last letter was the hardest to make out, and, I paused when I did. "E" I whispered; Daae. Christine's original last name.

"E-Erik! I found it!" I cried, allowing my hand to drop; I turned away from the mausoleum and towards the rest of the cemetery to find that everything was quiet...and dark. I was never very fond of the dark, I couldn't see anything! "E-Erik! I'm here, I've found the mausoleum, or, at least, I believe I have!

Erik!" I cried, listening to my own voice echo steadily off of the mausoleums that gathered all around me like a type of gang. "E-Erik?" I whimpered, gasping as the fingers of fear clenched tightly around my heart and squeezed it like it was a waterlogged sponge. In this moment I saw a figure walking towards me and I was at once overcome with relief.

"Oh, Erik! You scared the life out of me!" I cried with a laugh, but, this figure never spoke, it continued walking towards me with a strange menace about it. "E-Erik?" I asked uncertainly; then, the figure started running for me!

I gasped and hurried around the mausoleum, running away from the figure as fast as was humanly possible; tripping over tombstones and smacking into both trees and mausoleums alike! I must've been covered in bruises, but, I didn't care, I need to find Erik, Erik would protect me...wouldn't he? I screamed for Erik several times, running all about the cemetery, listening to the person's labored breathing behind me. I felt like I smacked into another tree, but, this tree was warm! I fell upon my back and discovered that I ran into a man!

But, there was something about the man; then, I saw the shiny glitter of the moon's rays against a mask.

Erik!

"Erik!" I cried, hurriedly standing and running into his arms.

"What's the matter, my angel? I heard your cries and came at once!" He said, petting my hair and kissing my forehead. I explained to him in short breaths what happened and he nodded.

"Raoul" he hissed, glancing around the cemetery in disgust. He sighed. "We'll come back tomorrow, when it's morning, at least now we know we must walk a good ways in." Said Erik as he lifted me from the ground and into his arms; carrying me gently back to the carriage.

- He catered to my wounds when we arrived back at the home upon the lake too. Bruises and scratches of all sorts covered my face and arms; I appeared terrible! "I don't understand how you can look at me; I'm practically a walking bruise" I said with a laugh, though, Erik only smiled.

"You're perfect, in every way, in any state, at any time. You are so beautiful and perfect to me that...well, it can't be measured. For, it is impossible to press the infinite into such finite words." He replied with a smile, dabbing a scratch on my cheek with a cold rag; I smiled and bit my lip. He was so sweet, so caring, gosh, he was wonderful!

I sighed and leaned forwards, giving him a quick kiss on the lips and leaning back; feeling my cheeks heat and watching his own turn vermillion. He grinned and kissed my cheek. "You deserve all the kisses in the world" said he; I sighed.

"Stop being so wonderful and making me want to kiss you all over!" I cried with a laugh; his eyes widened and his cheeks burned a deeper crimson than they already were!

"Y-You have never wanted to do that to me before..." he said, trailing off, I smiled.

"Sure I have, I just...I've never been vocal about it." I paused "so, wait a moment, we've never gotten...ya know...physical before? Not even on the wedding night?" I asked and he laughed.

"No, you've never said I could touch you like that...so...I haven't." He replied with a smile; I sighed, he was even more wonderful than I first thought! I leaned forwards and hugged him, laying my head upon his chest and sighing; his heart beat was so fast! But, soon, as he relaxed, it relaxed and I sprawled out upon the floor, smiling happily as I closed my eyes and fell asleep holding onto him.